The Editor, Sir:

Judging from the Budget Debate presentations both the Government and Opposition have fallen short of where the country should be headed. The country is in a perilous state and far-reaching, almost revolutionary solutions need to be found to erase that $900-billion-plus debt.

I am here to offer a few solutions. We probably could start by asking ourselves why it is that the Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Switzerland are so wealthy? Why is Las Vegas so prosperous? Las Vegas allows massive gambling, which attracts thousands of visitors. Those visitors need a place to stay, and hence, a massive building of some of the most amazing hotels in the world.

Cayman and the others have simply said to the wealthiest in the world: put your money into our banks; we will not ask you unnecessary questions about where you got your money and we will not allow any other government to ask us any questions either. By giving them this assurance those countries are reaping rich rewards.

The Government and the Opposition need to provide the people of Jamaica with the same standard of living of these countries and therefore need to find the mechanism to enact policies to that effect immediately. Jobs in the construction industry will boom and visitors will be streaming into the casinos. The six percent growth that Bruce Golding talks about will look like trump change. The 10-20 percent growth rate will instead come in the form of massive TRUMP CASINOS.

The people need some hope quickly and they definitely will get it if we focus on these two immediate growth areas. I look forward to this debate being re-ignited.

I am, etc.,

SHAWN JOHNSON

jamaicanshawn@yahoo.com

Mandeville

Via Go-Jamaica